Crispy air fryer green beans

Crispy breaded and air fried green beans on platter with dipping sauce.

5 from 1 vote

Crispy air fryer green beans

Air fryer green beans get wonderfully crispy on the outside, thanks to seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Serve them as an appetizer, snack, or side dish. It's wonderfully decadent, especially dunked in chili crisp dipping sauce.

Don't have an air fryer? Pan fry them instead! Look for pan frying instructions in the notes section of this recipe card.

Prep Time24

Cook Time6

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Vegan

Keyword: air fryer, finger food

Servings: people

Calories: 133kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

6 ounces green beans Roughly 30 green beans
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 to 8 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup panko breadcrumbs divided, plus more if necessary
1 teaspoon dried basil divided, plus more if necessary
1 teaspoon paprika divided, plus more if necessary
1 teaspoon granulated garlic divided, plus more if necessary
1 teaspoon granulated onion divided, plus more if necessary
Dash of pepper
Avocado oil oil spray for air frying or regular oil for pan frying

Instructions

Wash green beans in a colander. Then pour them onto a clean kitchen towel to blot dry. (They bread more easily when dry.) Remove stems from green beans. Then set aside.
Now it's time to make a breading station with a medium-sized shallow bowl and 3 plates. (The final plate is for holding the breaded green beans as they're prepared.)
On one dinner plate, put cornstarch.
In the bowl, use a fork or whisk to combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, and 6 Tablespoons of water. After the batter is mixed, slowly add 1 or 2 more Tablespoons of water, as needed, until it has the thickness of waffle batter.
The panko breading sticks a little better if the batter is on the thick side with no lumps.
On another dinner plate, combine ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon granulated garlic, ½ teaspoon granulated onion, a pinch of salt, and a dash of pepper.
(For the panko part of the breading station, I recommend just putting half the amount of breadcrumbs & seasonings in the ingredients list, because panko doesn't stick well once it gets wet. So it's better to just use half, finish it, and then add the second half once you run out. If at any point the panko gets too wet and isn't sticking, throw the panko mixture away and start over.)
One at a time, toss each green bean in cornstarch, and tap off any excess. Then dip it into the batter and fully coat it. Tap off any excess batter. Then dredge it in the panko breadcrumb mixture until it's fully covered.
(For less mess when breading, use one hand for wet & one for dry. By always dipping one hand into the wet batter and the other into the dry panko, you will have less mess & clean up while you bread the green beans.)
As you finish each one, set the breaded green bean on the separate final plate.
When you run out of seasoned panko, add the remaining ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon granulated garlic, ½ teaspoon granulated onion, a pinch of salt, and a dash of pepper to the breadcrumb mixture plate. Then continue breading until all of the green beans are coated. (If you run out of panko mixture again, add more panko and seasonings as needed.)
Put the breaded green beans into the air fryer basket in a single shallow layer. Be careful not to overcrowd, or they won't brown as nicely.
(You'll likely need to work in batches. Be aware that subsequent batches may cook faster, because the air fryer is hot.)
Lightly spritz the green beans with oil. Air fry at 360 degrees for 6 minutes, stopping once at about 4 minutes to carefully flip the beans with a spatula. Spray any white parts with oil, and continue air frying until brown all over.
Remember that air fryers vary. You may need to cook slightly longer or shorter, depending on your machine.
(Prefer to pan fry? See the notes section of the recipe card for instructions.)
Remove the browned green beans from air fryer and finish with another pinch of salt. Serve with spicy vegan chili crisp dipping sauce or your preferred sauce.

Notes

Optional pan frying instructions

The breaded green beans can be fried in a skillet on the stove instead of air frying.

Bring a large non-stick skillet to a medium high heat with about a half inch of avocado oil (or other high heat oil). Drop a breadcrumb into the oil to see if it's hot enough. If bubbles immediately form around it, it's ready to use.

Put the breaded green beans into the oil, being careful not to overcrowd. (You'll need to fry in batches. If the skillet is overcrowded, they won't brown as well.) Fry for about 5 minutes, stopping once about halfway through to flip with a spatula. (Don't move them until they brown.)

Once they are brown all over, move the fried green beans to a towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Finish with another pinch of salt, and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Be aware that the nutrition information is for the air fried version of fried green beans. If you're frying in a skillet with more oil, the calorie amount will be higher.

Storage & reheating instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for 3 or 4 days.

Leftover fried green beans reheat beautifully in the air fryer. Air fry at 360 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, stopping once halfway through to gently flip.

Nutrition